Pastoral Counseling between Psychology and Religion
On March 15, IPS announced its new Master of Arts in Counseling for Ministry with the help of Dr. Robert Kugelmann. As the author of Psychology and Catholicism: Contested Boundaries, Dr. Kugelmann spoke about the new IPS degree and its relationship with Catholicism and Psychology.
His talk that evening began…
“The title of this talk, ‘Pastoral Counseling between Psychology and Religion’ is a bit misleading, and if I can think of a better one in thirty minutes, I’ll let you know. It’s misleading because it can suggest that ‘psychology’ is one thing and that the word ‘religion’ always means the same thing. Psychology does not have unity, being a collective term for a great variety of disparate fields. As for religion, there is even more diversity than in psychology.
There is some merit with the title, however, because historically, pastoral counseling developed in the context of a complex intersection of a number of fields, including psychology (psychotherapy in particular) and the pastoral care that churches provide.
Let me introduce what I’ll say this evening. First, I’ll give an overview of the complex relationships between psychology and Catholicism since the beginnings of modern psychology. (as I haven’t studied much the relationships psychology has with other Christian religions, nor with other religions.) Then, I’ll present the rise of pastoral counseling in what has called a ‘trading zone.’ After that comes a brief history of the early work in pastoral counseling among Catholics. Finally, I will offer some reflections on recent developments.”
The Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago has been offering degrees in ministry since 1964. Born in the spirit of Vatican II, and advancing the mission of Loyola University Chicago, IPS responds to “the signs of the times” in providing transformative education for ministry, spiritual leadership, and faith-based social engagement, delivering high-quality professional education characterized by innovation, excellence, leadership, ethics, and service.
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